


the earth, the rain, and the pine trees

by Vitexy



Category: iKON (Kpop)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 06:52:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5238611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vitexy/pseuds/Vitexy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which junhoe is an omega who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut and bobby has a unique sense of smell</p>
            </blockquote>





	the earth, the rain, and the pine trees

**Author's Note:**

> i literally don't know anything about ikon. sorry

It’s that time of year again.

“I know, I know. I just need to run out and get some stuff really quick. Do you want me to starve or something?” Junhoe complains into his phone while tugging on his boots.

“Are you crazy? You can’t go out right now. You might get mauled!” Jinhwan’s high-pitched, panicked voice filters through his ear. “Any Alpha would be able to tell and then it’s over. You have to stay inside.”

“My heat hasn’t even started yet,” Junhoe counters. “And I’m just going to the store nearby. It’ll be like ten minutes max. I promise.”

“No!” Jinhwan protests vehemently into his ear. “Even if it hasn’t started yet an Alpha would be able to smell it coming anyways. Just wait, please? I’ll make Hanbin go pick up some things for you or something.”

“What are the chances I’ll even run into an Alpha anyways? It’s four in the afternoon. Alphas don’t do anything until, like, ten. They like to prowl around at night.” Junhoe finishes tugging on his boots. Standing up, he grabs his keys from his kitchen table and stuffs them into his pocket. Then he opens his front door, intending to leave in spite of all his friend’s protests. “Besides better me than Donghyuk right? At least I can feasibly fight off an Alpha.”

His roommate, Donghyuk, has already holed himself up in his room in preparation for the hormonal storm about to hit the two omegas, and, even though Donghyuk is not his most favorite person in the world, Junhoe would actually feel bad forcing him to go out and buy emergency food supplies for both of them. He’s scrawny and weak, and an Alpha would surely jump him if alone in this state - or even his normal state for that matter.

“Just because you lack a brain-to-mouth filter does not mean you can fight off an Alpha,” Jinhwan deadpans. “They don’t care if you say they have a small dick. They’d stick it in you anyways.”

“Gross. Don’t talk like that.” Stepping outside the door, he glances down the hallway before quietly shutting the door behind him. No need to alert Jinhwan that he’s blatantly disobeying his commands.

“Please, Junhoe. Hanbin will be home in, like, forty minutes. Just wait. It’s just food, and you’re not due to start for another day or so. You don’t have to get groceries _right now_.”

“Yeah, except Donghyuk keeps bitching about his cramps,” Junhoe tells his friend, briskly walking towards the elevators. “You know pain meds do jack for him. He wants those Thermacare heating packs, and we’re all out.”

“And you can’t wait for an hour?” Jinhwan sounds near hysterical. Junhoe rolls his eyes at his over dramatic tone.

Jabbing the down button on the elevator, Junhoe spins around and leans back against the wall beside it. “I really would rather not endure anymore of Donghyuk’s whining for now. He’s annoying enough when he’s not keeled over in pain and near heat. This is pure torture. And, like I said, I’ll be fine. If I were in the middle of my own heat of course I’d wait, but this is fine. I promise. What can happen in ten minutes?”

The elevator arrives on his floor with a ding while Jinhwan continues to grumble under his breath. The doors slide open, and Junhoe steps into the empty elevator. “Okay, well Donghyuk’s whining his ass off again, so I better check up on him,” Junhoe lies, “I have to go. Bye!” And he hangs up before Jinhwan can throw in one more plea to stay home.

Sighing, Junhoe pockets his phone and hits the button for the first floor. He crosses his arms as the doors slide shut and the elevator begins to descend. Two floors down the elevator stops again. Staring at the number 12 on the elevator’s screen, Junhoe scowls slightly. He kind of really dislikes riding in the elevator with people. Actually, he kind of just dislikes people.

There’s a ding before the doors start to slide open, but Junhoe’s eyes widen and he tenses as the smell of an Alpha hits him, regretting the last words he had said to Jinhwan in an instant. _What could happen in ten minutes?_ What could happen? What could _happen?_ Junhoe almost wants to laugh at the naivety of his past self from five seconds ago. Instinct drives him to the furthest corner of the elevator by the time the doors open completely and another person enters. Junhoe all but glares at him, scowling intensely.

The Alpha wears a pair of faded jeans, ripped at the knees, and a black hoodie - some brand name Junhoe doesn’t recognize printed in messy block letters across it. A snap back covers his head, and a pair of white headphones plug his ears. He does briefly glance at Junhoe, quirking a brow at his expression before moving to the opposite corner of the elevator to stand.

Junhoe presses himself further into the side of the elevator, eyes warily trained on the Alpha...who isn’t reacting at all. A bit miffedby the behavior, Junhoe takes a cautious sniff of the air, blanching at the overpowering smell of an Alpha. He covers his nose with his hands and stares at the Alpha’s back. How can this be? Junhoe isn’t in heat yet, but an Alpha should definitely be able to smell him.

Oh.

Junhoe almost smacks himself. Duh. This Alpha must be mated or something. Mated Alphas can certainly still smell an omega’s heat, but they’re largely unaffected by it. They can resist it unlike their single counterparts. Junhoe breaths a sigh of relief just as the doors slide open on the first floor.

The Alpha exits first without so much as a backward glance to Junhoe. The omega tentatively exits after him, careful to maintain a healthy distance between the two of them. Just in case. They split up not long after exiting the apartment complex, Junhoe cutting east to head for the nearby store while the Alpha wanders off in the other direction. Home free. See? Nothing to worry about. He’s half tempted to call Jinhwan just to say “I told you so” but ultimately restrains himself.

The trip to the store doesn’t last long. No one other than betas and a couple other omegas are in the store. Junhoe grabs a pack of Thermacare for Donghyuk first before dumping an unhealthy number of frozen dinners and other high-fat snacks into his cart. It’s not like either of them are going to be cooking for the next week or so.

He lines up and checks out without incident. Now he really does kind of want to call Jinhwan just to prove a point. He takes his plastic bags, two in each hand, and quickly strides out of the store. The walk to and from the apartment from here is only a couple minutes, but apparently ten minutes aren’t needed for something to happen.

It only takes two.

Junhoe is just to the apartment entrance when he’s suddenly blind sided. A hand grabs the back of his shirt and tugs, hard enough for Junhoe to drop his groceries. Then the next second, a gasp escapes him as he’s carelessly thrown onto the lawn of the apartment. The fall is brutal enough that when he makes to sit up, his vision momentarily blackens and a throb travels across the back of his head.

“Shit,” he swears before he’s pushed back to the ground.

“You smell so good.” A nose presses against the side of his neck, inhaling deeply. Junhoe shudders at the sensation.

Junhoe doesn’t recognize the voice, and, when his vision clears, he doesn’t recognize the face of his assailant either. However, there is no mistaking the scent that filters in through his nose. _Alpha_. Shit, shit, shit.

“Get off me!” Junhoe barks, pressing his hands against the Alpha’s chest and pushes. The other doesn’t even budge, clearly unbothered by Junhoe’s strength or lack thereof. “Get off!” He kicks his legs out fruitlessly while the Alpha simply presses his weight down against the struggling omega.

Fuck.

Junhoe regrets everything. Why couldn’t he have just waited for Jinhwan to send Hanbin?

Then the weight is lifting off of him, and Junhoe blinks his wet eyes open thinking he’s been spared. But the Alpha merely grabs him by his wrist and begins to drag him around the side of the apartment. “No,” Junhoe protests, twisting around before sitting up. He digs his heels into the ground in an attempt to resist, but the Alpha is stronger. “Stop. Let go!” In spite of himself, the omega really thinks he might start crying soon, never as scared by an Alpha before in his life. Granted Hanbin is the only Alpha he really knows, and Hanbin and scary don’t go well together at all.

“Hey,” a new voice interrupts them, “he said ‘let go.’”

Junhoe tilts his head to look behind him. The Alpha from the elevator is there. He’s got a bag of what looks like take out in one hand. Relief floods through the omega. Yes, yes, please help me, he whines in his head.

“Back off. I found him first.” The Alpha holding Junhoe’s wrist bares his teeth while his grip on Junhoe tightens. The omega grimaces at the pain but refuses to cry out.

Elevator Alpha doesn’t look very impressed. “So? He told you to let go. What part of that _don’t_ you understand?”

The other grins a bit menacingly. “What is there to understand? An omega running around like this is just asking for it,” he spits.

Junhoe sees red. He kicks out with one of his feet, digging his heel squarely into the Alpha’s shin. The move doesn’t appear to really damage the Alpha much, but it is enough to startle him into releasing his grip on Junhoe’s wrist. The omega doesn’t waste a second. He jumps to his feet immediately and heads for Elevator Alpha who, although another Alpha, at the very least seems to be on his side.

The Alpha pounces on him before he can make it far though, grasping him by the calves and toppling Junhoe back to the ground. The omega releases an involuntary scream. It’s enough to set off Elevator Alpha though.

He drops his bag of take out and throws himself into the fray, dragging the Alpha off of Junhoe. The omega immediately leaps out of the way to safety, almost running into the apartment complex. He doesn’t though, feeling too guilty if he abandons the Alpha who’s helping him. So he waits a fair distance away, ready to bolt into the safety of the apartment building if necessary while a fight unfolds in front of him.

Truthfully, Junhoe’s never seen two Alphas fight each other, especially in this bizarre situation. When Alphas fight it’s usually over pride, territory, or an omega. He’s never seen a mated Alpha fight to protect an omega who is not his mate. It’s not an experience he’d like to relive in the near future either. They tear and bite into each other’s skin, throwing punches and kicks in as well.

Elevator Alpha manages to land a punch strong enough that Junhoe swears he hears something crack in the other Alpha’s face. Probably his nose. It’s enough for the other Alpha to give in though, whimpering slightly as he bolts away. He doesn’t even glance at Junhoe when he runs past.

“Shit,” Elevator Alpha curses, delicately touching his collar bone. Junhoe can’t see it on the Alpha’s dark hoodie, but he can certainly smell the blood soaked through. He flinches away on instinct when the Alpha turns and shuffles over to him, bending down to pick up his bag of food before shuffling past Junhoe to the apartment.

The omega scrambles after him, picking up his fallen grocery bags on the way in. “Are - are you okay?” he asks tentatively.

“Fine,” the Alpha dismisses with a wave of his hand. He reaches the elevator first and pushes the up button.

“But you’re bleeding,” the omega points out.

“It’s not life threatening. What about you?” The Alpha peers curiously at the omega. Junhoe blinks at the other clearly caught off guard by the question. “Are you okay?” he clarifies when Junhoe does nothing but stare at him.

The omega glances down at himself before looking back up to the Alpha in front of him. “Well, I’m not bleeding,” he notes.

The other grins at those words. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.” The elevator arrives and they both step in. The Alpha presses “12” while Junhoe hits “14.” Then he picks up where he left off, “Still, you were attacked. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Honestly Junhoe feels weak on his feet, the strength apparently leaving his legs, and, yes, maybe he is a little traumatized by the attack, but nobody else needs to know that. “Yeah,” he answers with confidence he really doesn’t have anymore. “I’m fine. You look way worse for wear. I can bring you our first aid kit. It has everything in it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the other shrugs it off, “I’ve got some band-aids at home.”

Junhoe eyes the ripped collar of the Alpha’s hoodie. He can see a rather nasty gash across his collarbone. Though the wound is already beginning to heal, band-aids just aren’t going to cut it. Junhoe should know. His roommate wants to be a nurse. “You need more than just band-aids. It’s really no problem. I can just drop it off if you want. Plus I really owe you anyways. What’s your apartment number?”

The Alpha eyes him curiously until the elevator reaches his floor. When the doors open, he finally tears his eyes away and exits without a word. Junhoe huffs a little at the response. And here he was trying to be nice. For once. Jinhwan would have been proud. “Well, thanks for your help,” he says, expressing only a little gratitude but quite a bit of attitude.

Just as the doors start sliding shut, the Alpha looks over his shoulder and calls out, “1207.”

Junhoe stares blankly at the closed elevator door as it goes up two more floors. Now he kind of doesn’t want to bring a first aid kit to his savior. Shaking it off, he heads for his own apartment. When he enters his apartment, he’s immediately greeted with Donghyuk’s exaggeratedly loud moans and groans of pain. Rolling his eyes, he sets his grocery store bounty on the kitchen table and digs through the bags until he finds those heating pads.

With the heating pads in hand, he trudges over to Donghyuk’s room and throws the door open. The other is rolling around on his bed, his sheets a mess around him. “Junhoe,” he whines, reaching out for his roommate. “My knight in shining armor. Did you get them?”

Junhoe chucks the box in his hand at his roommate by way of an answer. “Now stop whining. Your heat hasn’t even started yet.”

“But it’s going to be bad,” Donghyuk groans, prying open the box. “I can feel it. Will you help me through it?”

“Will you help me?” Junhoe shoots back. The shorter omega nods his head eagerly. “Then fine.” He leaves the room with the door still open and heads for the bathroom where Donghyuk keeps his extensive first aid kit. The white box is tucked neatly under the sink, easy to find.

He takes the first aid kit back down to the twelfth floor and wanders a short way down the hall to apartment 1207. Knocking twice, he waits only a few seconds before the door opens a crack. “Oh, shit,” an unfamiliar voice responds.

A beta.

The door opens more, and a stranger pokes his head out into the hall, one sleeve covering his nose and mouth as he peers at Junhoe. “Dude, you reek,” he comments. Junhoe scowls. “I mean, not like that. You don’t smell bad, in fact, you smell fucking amazing.” The omega doesn’t miss how the beta pulls his shirt down over his crotch to hide his growing erection. “Just, like, what are you doing wandering about when you smell like this?”

“Is there an Alpha who lives here?” he asks. He already ponders on the possibility that the Alpha in the elevator lied to him for shits and giggles or something.

“Who? Bobby? Crazy bastard came in a bloody mess just a few minutes ago.”

Yeah. That’s probably the right Alpha then. Junhoe untucks the first aid kit from his arm and hands it to the beta. “I came to give this to him,” he says.

“Oh. You want to come in for a bit? He’s just in his bedroom, probably trying to get out of his clothes without causing too much harm.” The beta steps aside to allow him in, but Junhoe hesitates unsure that this is a good idea. Nonetheless, he is curious, so he steps inside after deliberating for a brief moment.

Junhoe’s eyes sweep over the apartment. It’s a quite messy compared to his own, but then again, his apartment is occupied by two neat freaks. He glances over to what is clearly the living room and kitchen before looking over to the bedrooms. One of the doors is closed. Then he finally settles his gaze back on the beta. “Are you his mate?” he asks curiously.

“Bobby’s?” The beta snorts at the suggestion. “Hell, no. He doesn’t have a mate. Oh, I’m Yunhyeong by the way. Pardon my manners.”

“Junhoe,” the omega returns distractedly. His mind has already wondered. Unmated? That couldn’t be right given his behavior towards Junhoe so far today. He’s never heard of an unmated Alpha with that much self-control before.

“Fuck!” A sharp, pained cry came from behind the closed door.

Yunhyeong and Junhoe both wince at the tone. “I better go help him,” the beta suggests, “before he hurts himself any further.” And with that he disappears into the bedroom, leaving Junhoe alone in the middle of their apartment. If he were a different kind of person, he may have started snooping around just to satisfy his curiosity. As it is, he finds he can only stand to awkwardly wait for one of the apartment’s residents to come to him.

A few seconds later, Yunhyeong reemerges from the bedroom, the Alpha - Bobby - following right after him. He pauses, however, when he catches sight of Junhoe. “Oh. You came by.”

Junhoe nods his head stiffly and offers up the first aid kit again. “Yeah, I came to give this to you.” He approaches the Alpha cautiously, coming just within arms reach so that Bobby can take it from him. Then he scrambles backwards, bumping into Yunhyeong in his haste. “Uh, you should just make sure to clean those wounds and then bandage them up,” he says, addressing the beta more than the Alpha. Yunhyeong has returned to covering his nose though now he’s crossing one leg over the other. “I should...probably go.”

“Yeah,” Yunhyeong agrees in a strained voice.

“Thanks for dropping by with this,” Bobby calls just as Junhoe darts out the door. His roommate breathes a sigh of relief.

“Holy -” he almost curses, clutching his shirt with one hand. “Are you courting him or something?”

Bobby looks at his roommate oddly. “No,” he answers bluntly. “You know me by now, don’t you? I don’t date.”

“I don’t see why not. I’ve seen plenty of people throw themselves at you,” Yunhyeong comments. “I mean, an omega just showed up at our door, on the cusp of his heat, just so he could hand off a first aid kit? Are you just fucking with me now? You like him, don’t you?”

“I barely know him,” Bobby replies. “Just met him today. Anyways, help me with this, yeah?” He holds up the first aid kit.

Yunhyeong furrows his brows and grumbles as he follows his roommate into the bathroom.

 ****  
  
  


Donghyuk predicted his heat spot on. It was horrible. But not just for him this time.

Donghyuk and Junhoe roomed together for the first time back in high school when they were roommates at a private school their parents sent them two. While they weren’t the best of friends, they were compatible enough as roommates that they had decided to live together since, and as such, their heat cycles quickly synced with each other. Now they are like clockwork which, really, is quite convenient because sometimes they help each other out when it’s particularly difficult to take the edge off like it is right now.

It’s a day and a half in, and Junhoe’s already fucked his roommate into the mattress too many times to count of his fingers. Donghyuk tries to give back as much as he gets, but Junhoe can tell his roommate is really suffering this time, so he spoils him a little.

Just a little after lunch time, the taller omega pushes his roommate down onto the bed before he drops down to his knees. Donghyuk inhales sharply even before Junhoe takes the tip of his cock into his mouth. Slackening his jaw, he swallows down his roommate’s cock like a pro and starts bobbing his head up and down.

Donghyuk’s fingers dig into the mattress and his toes curl, just getting into it when a wave of nausea suddenly strikes Junhoe. He furrows his brows and pulls off of his roommate, ignoring Donghyuk’s whine as he stumbles to his feet and dashes out of the room. He can feel bile crawling up his throat, and he covers his mouth with his hand when he chokes.

“Junhoe?” Donghyuk calls out for him in concern.

He ignores his roommate, practically falling into the bathroom before crawling over to the toilet where he promptly empties his stomach. In the next second, Donghyuk bursts into the bathroom having wrapped himself up in a sweatshirt first though. He winces when he catches sight of Junhoe on the floor, hands gripping the edges of the toilet and body covered in sweat. The taller omega manages to glance at Donghyuk for only a moment, looking pitiful and miserable, before he turns back to the toilet and vomits again.

“Christ. Are you okay?” his roommate asks, dropping to his knees beside Junhoe. The other’s answer is only to heave some more. “I’ll get you some clothes,” Donghyuk suggests, patting his roommate’s back soothingly before rushing out of the bathroom.

By the time he returns, Junhoe is already brushing his teeth to rid himself of the foul taste in his mouth. He dresses and asks Donghyuk if he could get him a glass of water. He kind of just wants to sleep forever now.

“Of course, of course.” The smaller omega runs off to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water just as the doorbell rings.

Junhoe shuffles out of the bathroom at the sound and the two omegas share a glance. Neither are really expecting company given the state that they’re in. “Do you suppose Jinhwan-hyung’s become psychic?” Donghyuk jokes, although he really wouldn’t be surprised if the elder showed up. Jinhwan seems to have a weird sixth sense where he just knows when someone is sick.

Shrugging, Junhoe shuffles over to the door to answer. He only cracks the door open a bit before the familiar scent of an Alpha fills his nose. Junhoe can’t help but moan at the smell though he quickly slaps a hand over his mouth, horrified when he stares at his neighbor from two floors down. Bobby.

The Alpha stares at him oddly. “You okay?” he asks after a moment.

“God, who smells amazing?” Donghyuk’s voice filters out from the kitchen.

Junhoe would have smacked him if he weren’t all the way in the kitchen. “Hi,” he says a bit breathlessly. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

Bobby holds up a familiar first aid kit in answer. “Thought I would return this to you. Are you okay? You look pretty sick.”

“I’m fine,” he says though he’s leaning quite heavily against the door. “Just vomiting, you know.”

“And vomiting is fine?” The Alpha asks skeptically. Tentatively, he reaches out to touch Junhoe on the forehead, and, against the omegas better judgement, Junhoe eagerly leans into the touch sighing in content when he feels the Alpha’s comparatively cool fingers against his forehead. “Wow, you’re burning up.”

“Heat,” Junhoe mumbles unintelligibly.

“What?”

“I’m in heat,” he says louder.

The Alpha steps back, eyes wide as if caught off guard. “Oh. Oh. Sorry. Wow, I’m so sorry. I meant to drop this off before it started.”

Junhoe squints at the Alpha. “You can’t smell it?” he asks. Right now the apartment absolutely reeks of Donghyuk and Junhoe’s hormones. There’s no way the Alpha could miss the scent, yet he seems completely oblivious to the smell.

Bobby is spared from having to answer by Donghyuk.”June, do you want something to eat?” he calls from the kitchen.

“No,” he answers, slouching further against the door. “I don’t think I can stomach anything right now.”

“Yeah, but you just threw up your lunch. You need to eat something.”

“Donghyuk -”

“I can help,” Bobby interjects though he looks as if he regrets offering right after. So he shrugs his shoulders and tries to brush it off. “If you want, I mean.”

 ****  
  
  


Donghyuk can’t help but stare in awe as an Alpha calmly sets a bowl of steaming rice porridge down in front of Junhoe. “It’s really bland,” he warns, “but you should be able to keep it down this way.” He glances at Donghyuk briefly before quickly averting his gaze. The omega doesn’t really blame him for his behavior. Donghyuk had shamelessly humped the Alpha the moment he’d stepped into the kitchen. Thankfully, Junhoe was sober enough to pry his roommate off, but Bobby hasn’t been able to maintain eye contact since.

“Do you want some?” he asks Donghyuk politely while Junhoe carefully sips on his own bowl.

Donghyuk shakes his head. “No, thanks,” he answers, still staring in awe at the Alpha.

Bobby nods his head then turns his attention back to Junhoe. “How is it?”

Junhoe takes another sip of the porridge before curtly answering, “Tasteless.” Bobby grins at his succinct answer. “But,” he adds, looking down at his food contemplatively, “I guess I don’t want to throw it up.”

“Good. I made kind of a large portion. You probably should not eat anything else or the next 12 hours at least. If you don’t throw up during that time you can try eating normally again.” Junhoe nods his head along with the instructions. Bobby leaves his and his roommate’s number with them in case they need anything else before he takes his leave.

 ****  
  
  


Fourteen hours later, Junhoe shares of pot of ramen with Donghyuk which he promptly vomits back out. Two days later, Junhoe runs out of the porridge Bobby made - unable to stomach anything else - so Donghyuk has to call the Alpha to see if he can make another batch.

Another two and half days later, Donghyuk’s heat finally breaks. Junhoe’s does not. For the first time in years, their heats are out of sync. Two more days pass with Donghyuk trying fruitlessly to help break his roommate’s heat, but Junhoe is still overcome with his heat and still unable to eat anything other than bland foods.

Donghyuk calls Jinhwan in a panic.

“He’s _still_ in heat?” Jinhwan asks incredulously when Donghyuk explains the situation to him.

“Yeah, it’s been two days past since when he should have ended.” The smaller omega glances at his roommate’s closed door which he has been pacing in front of. He can hear Junhoe panting and moaning inside, probably getting himself off. “I know it’s probably not an emergency or anything, but I’ve been trying to help him and I’m just...a little sore and tired now.”

“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” Jinhwan soothes him. “I’m sure his heat will break soon, but it is a little weird. You guys always start and stop at the same time.”

“I know!” Donghyuk exclaims in a whisper. “But, hyung, that’s not the only thing weird about his heat this time. Junhoe’s been having trouble eating. He keeps vomiting."

“ _What?_ ”

“He’s been on a diet of just bland food for awhile now. It’s the only thing he can eat and not throw up. It’s weird. He’s never been like this before. I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m coming over,” Jinhwan tells him and hangs up before Donghyuk can say anything in response.

 ****  
  
  


Of course, when Jinhwan says he’s coming over Donghyuk should have known that included Hanbin. When the Alpha enters he immediately wrinkles his nose in discomfort, clearly able to smell Junhoe. Jinhwan doesn’t say anything, immediately rushing into Junhoe’s room.

Donghyuk moves to follow his friend but pauses to look over at Hanbin sympathetically. “You okay?” he asks.

Rubbing his nose, Hanbin shrugs his shoulders and smiles wryly at the omega. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. It’s just a little weird to smell Junhoe in this state.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize Jinhwan would drag you along,” Donghyuk apologizes.

Hanbin waves off his apology though as he starts making his way after Jinhwan. “Don’t apologize. I came because I was concerned. Jinhwan said Junhoe has been vomiting.”

“Yeah. He’s been having a rough week,” Donghyuk comments as they enter Junhoe’s room.

Inside Jinhwan is perched on the edge of Junhoe’s bed; the back of his hand pressed against the omega’s forehead. “How are you feeling?” he asks Junhoe quietly.

The taller licks his dried, chapped lips shifting uncomfortably while his eyes glance over to Hanbin. His pupils dilate, and he squirms around in his sheets. “Hot,” he finally answers, twisting around so his back is to the others. Frowning, Jinhwan glances over to Donghyuk and Hanbin, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

“I think…” Jinhwan says slowly, eyes focused on Hanbin, “I think maybe you should help him.”  

Hanbin doesn’t react to his mate’s words other than to stare unblinkingly. Donghyuk makes a small noise a protest, but, perhaps not unsurprisingly, Junhoe throws up the most protest. “No,” he says, sitting up abruptly in bed.

“Junhoe, I think it would help. Your heat hasn’t broken yet, and it should have two days ago.”

“I’m not going to -” Junhoe scowls, unable to complete the thought. “Just leave me with Donghyuk for five minutes.”

“No,” Jinhwan protests vehemently to that idea. “He’s sore and tired. He needs a break.”

While Jinhwan and Junhoe continue to argue with each other over what to do, Donghyuk crosses his arms and stares unseeingly at the floor thoughtfully. Hanbin is about to interject, to assure Junhoe that there’s really no problem - that he can do this as the omega’s friend - but Donghyuk suddenly blurts out, “What about Bobby?” All three other occupants go silent - Hanbin and Jinhwan out of confusion, Junhoe out of mortification.

“Who the hell is that?” Hanbin asks.

“A neighbor. Kind of. He’s a mated Alpha too, but Junhoe seems to like him.”

“He’s unmated,” the taller omega hisses in protest. When Jinhwan raises a brow at him, he slaps a hand over his mouth and shakes his head. Did he have to say that like it utterly offended him?

“No way,” Donghyuk protests, turning to Hanbin. “You should have seen this guy. He waltzed in here to make some rice porridge for Junhoe in the middle of both our heats. He didn’t even seem to smell us.”

“His roommate says he’s unmated,” Junhoe mumbles through his hand.

“Where does he live?” Jinhwan asks.

Hanbin bristles at the question. “Are you insane?” he barks defensively. “You want to let an unknown Alpha handle this? I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

His mate crosses his arms over his chest and stands up. “Regardless of if he’s mated or not, this Alpha clearly seems unaffected by their heat, so I think we can say he’s pretty trustworthy dealing with this issue. Plus,” he glances at Junhoe who stares back at him curiously, “Donghyuk’s right. Junhoe seems to like him.”

Junhoe scoffs, offended by his friend’s deduction. “I do not like him,” he protests adamantly.

“Don’t lie to me,” Jinhwan chides, “don’t think I didn’t smell that sudden spike in your hormones when Donghyuk suggested asking this Alpha for help.” Then he looks pointedly down at Junhoe’s legs even though he’s covered himself in his blankets.

The omega flushes red in embarrassment, turning his head away to hide his face from his friends. The thought that Jinhwan could smell his response to just the mention of an Alpha is so mortifying he feels like he could die.

“Anyways,” Donghyuk interjections weakly, well aware of Junhoe’s embarrassment, “Bobby said we could come to him if he we needed anything so…”

Jinhwan turns to the smaller omega and nods his head in approval. “Go ask him.”

Donghyuk turns to do as he’s told but is stopped when Hanbin seizes him by the back of his shirt. “No,” the Alpha says firmly, outwardly radiating his clear disapproval to the plan. “I’ll go. Where does he live?”

Swallowing thickly, Donghyuk looks to Jinhwan for support. The elder doesn’t seem pleased with Hanbin’s decision, but doesn’t look as if he wants to fight it either. “Don’t scare him off,” Jinhwan warns his mate, reluctantly relenting to the Alpha. Hanbin’s lips are set in a grim frown, but he doesn’t respond to Jinhwan’s words verbally. Donghyuk tells him the apartment number then shrinks away while Hanbin storms off. The eldest sighs as the Alpha leaves. “Nothing good ever happens when two Alphas meet,” he laments.

“Do you think Hanbin will scare him off?” Donghyuk asks worriedly.

“Hopefully,” Junhoe mumbles into his blankets even though that’s the exact opposite of what he actually wants right now.

 ****  
  
  


Yunhyeong tears his eyes away from the TV when the doorbell rings. Pouting, he sinks further into the couch and calls for his roommate to get the door. “Bobby!” he yells, popping another pretzel into his mouth. “Hey, someone’s at the door!” He doesn’t hear a peep from his roommate. The doorbell goes off again.

Grumbling and groaning, Yunhyeong sets his bag of pretzels down on the coffee table in front of him and reluctantly slides off the couch to answer the door. He’s still muttering curses to whoever is interrupting his show when he throws open the door to yell at the intruder only to shrink away in fear instead. An Alpha stands on the other side, arms crossed over his chest with a very unamused expression on his face. He all but glares at the beta in front of him.

“Is your roommate home?” he asks gruffly.

Yunhyeong nods his head obediently, feeling a bit faint. Bobby and he had just started rooming about six months ago, and the beta honestly likes his Alpha roommate. Bobby is surprisingly not territorial nor aggressive, and is comfortably lax with pretty much everything. He takes care of Yunhyeong well and is an all-around friendly guy. As such, Yunhyeong has grown a bit protective of his roommate, and, under normal stances, he most definitely would have demanded to know just who this Alpha thought he was, but the Alpha before him feels positively furious. Yunhyeong is too scared to fight him.

“One second. I’ll go get him,” he says meekly, allowing the door to shut as he stumbles off to Bobby’s room.  

Bobby looks up at his roommate when Yunhyeong opens the door to his room. Yunhyeong’s face looks a bit pale and his hands are quivering slightly. Pulling his feet from his desk and the headphones off his ears, he gives the beta his full attention. “There’s an Alpha at our door who smells like murder and death,” the beta announces solemnly. Bobby quirks a brow at that description. “And he wants to talk to you. So, please, put on a shirt and do something about it.” He leaves without another word.

Furrowing his brows together, Bobby scoots his desk chair out from under his desk and stands up. For about a minute he rummages through his laundry in search of a shirt to pull on. Then he stuffs a beanie over the top of his head and exits his room. As he makes his way down the hall to the front door, he passes by Yunhyeong’s room where the beta is poking his head out from. He offers the Alpha a thumbs up of encouragement before ducking back inside and shutting his door. Bobby frowns when he hears the sound of the lock turning.

Shaking it off he heads to the front door and pulls it open. Sure enough he is greeted by a rather pissed off Alpha. Well, at least Yunhyeong warned him. “Uh, hi?” he greets the other. “Can I help you?”

Hanbin grunts, giving the Alpha in front of him a slow and intimidating once over. “Are you Bobby?” he asks gruffly.

The other Alpha opens his door a little wider - likely in an attempt to be friendly and open - however Hanbin responds aggressively, growling at the gesture. Does this guy not take him seriously? Does he not think Hanbin is a threat? Oh, he is a threat. He is so threatening. He should just wrangle this kid by the neck and be done with it. That’ll teach him a lesson.

“Yes, why?”

Taking in a deep, calming breath Hanbin pushes all murderous thoughts to the back of his mind. “You know Donghyuk and Junhoe?”

He does perk up a bit at the mention of the two omegas though not enough to deeply offend Hanbin. “Well, I mean, sort of,” he answers bashfully, “I only met them a few days ago. Live two floors up, yeah?”

Hanbin clenches his fists by his side. “Right,” he grits out, annoyed, because he wants to hate this guy and tell him to fuck off and leave his friends alone, but he seems nice which makes it hard to be mean in turn. “Okay, look, I really hate to ask you this. Like, really, really hate it,” Hanbin emphasizes pointlessly, “but can you help? Junhoe’s not doing so hot right now. He’s still in heat even though it should have ended two days ago, and he’s been vomiting apparently.”

Bobby’s expresses concern at the last statement. _Still_ vomiting? That can’t be good.

“Anyways, Jinhwan - my mate - seems to be under the impression that an Alpha may help ease the heat which is probably causing the vomiting.”

After he’s finished explaining, Bobby only stares pointedly at him. “Uh, you’re an Alpha,” he reminds the other.

Hanbin rolls his eyes. “I’m well aware, and I would honestly rather help him myself than ask you, but Junhoe is adverse to it because Jinhwan is a mutual friend. Clearly.”

“Clearly,” Bobby agrees dryly but takes a step outside of his apartment anyways. “Alright, show me the way.”

 ****  
  


“So, how do you even know his heat should have ended by now?” Bobby asks on their way up to Donghyuk and Junhoe’s apartment.

“It’s very unusual for a heat episode to last more than five days for an omega. Junhoe’s on his seventh day now. Plus, Donghyuk and Junhoe have had a synced cycle for years now. Even I find it a little concerning that Donghyuk is done, but he’s not.”

Bobby cups his chin thoughtfully while the elevator rises two floors. “I don’t suppose it’s because of that attack,” he mumbles to himself, thinking out loud. Unfortunately he thinks too loudly because the next second Hanbin has his hand twisted into the collar of Bobby’s shirt, and he pins the Alpha against the wall.

“What attack?” Hanbin growls.

“Calm down, man!” The doors open, but Hanbin doesn’t make any move to release Bobby. “Some Alpha attacked your friend like a couple days before his heat started, okay? A forced mating. Anyways, I just stumbled across it and chased the other dude off. That’s all.”

Hanbin releases him - more likely out of surprise than everything - just in time because the elevator doors start sliding shut, but Bobby manages to skirt around the other Alpha and slide out of the elevator, forcing the doors back open. Hanbin follows him out in a bit of a daze.

When they make it back inside the omegas’ apartment, Jinhwan and Donghyuk are sitting at the kitchen table sharing a pot of tea, though both look up when they hear the entrance of the two Alphas. “I brought him,” Hanbin announces. “And he has a rather interesting theory as to why Junhoe’s heat is all out of whack.” Bobby eyes the other warily while both Donghyuk and Jinhwan perk in interest. “Someone attacked Junhoe a couple days before his heat started, attempted a forced mating.”

Jinhwan gapes while Donghyuk covers his mouth in shock. Immediately the elder turns to him, eyes narrowed accusingly. How could Donghyuk not have told them something so vital? “I didn’t know!” the omega cries out. “I swear! He didn’t say anything about it.”

Then another thought seems to strike Jinhwan becomes he groans and covers his face with his hands. “That little...he went out even when I told him not to. Ugh, when he’s better I’ll...I’ll...ugh!”

“That’s probably what’s causing it, right?” Hanbin asks.

Jinhwan massages his temples aggressively. “Yes. His body’s probably been anticipating a mate, but all he’s gotten is Donghyuk.”

“Hey!”

“And the vomiting?” Bobby interjects.

Jinhwan glances at the Alpha. “Likely a result of the intensity of his heat. His body is even more volatile than it usually is. He’s probably been throwing up because of that. So, can you help?”

Three pairs of eyes train on him, and he almost bolts from the pressure. Bobby licks his lips, looking between all of them. “I -” he hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I don’t know. How can I help? I mean, what is it you want me to do?”

“Fuck him,” Jinhwan says with no inflection. The Alpha blanches at the request. “Help him through his heat, but don’t mate him.”

Bobby gulps audibly, thinking for a moment that maybe Jinhwan isn’t serious, but the older’s gaze never wavers. “I’ll - I’ll go see what I can do,” he stutters, seriously beginning to question why he even decided to step out of his apartment.

Donghyuk volunteers to show him to Junhoe’s room, but Hanbin swiftly and decisively tells him to sit down because he’ll do it. “We still have things to discuss,” he says with finality to stop any more protests from the others. Then he seizes Bobby by the sleeve of his shirt and drags him down the hallway to Junhoe’s room. “Don’t mate him,” Hanbin orders outside of the omega’s room.

“I won’t,” Bobby promises confidently. Although he is more than a little intimidated at the moment, his uncertainty is not really due to Hanbin. The Alpha certainly seems powerful and quite protective of his friends, but Bobby doesn’t find him all that scary, sure that he could hold his own against the other. The situation he currently finds himself in, however, scares him shitless. He’s not even certain he’s actually willing to help.

Hanbin tilts his head and narrows his eyes at the unfamiliar Alpha. “Are you mated? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I do mind,” Bobby snaps instinctively.

Hanbin seems unphased by his tone, however. “Very well. I suppose it doesn’t matter so long as you keep your word.”

“I’ll keep my word,” Bobby assures the other Alpha before he briskly enters Junhoe’s room, slamming the door shut behind him. Once inside the room, he leans back against the door and sighs. He really only came inside to avoid the other Alpha. Man, that guy drives him up a wall.

A groan pulls him from his thoughts, eyes immediately focusing on the bed.

 ****  
  
  


Hanbin hasn’t stopped pacing since he returned to the kitchen where Jinhwan and Donghyuk were still sharing a cup of tea together. “Quit pacing and come sit down,” Jinhwan complains after a moment, pulling out the chair beside him in invitation. The Alpha refuses his offer, however, slightly upset and offended by the elder’s behavior.

“How can you be so calm right now?” he demands.

“I trust him.”

Hanbin slams his hands on top of the table, startling Donghyuk with his force. The smaller omega cowers away, cradling his cup of tea close to his chest. “You don’t even know him,” Hanbin growls.

“No,” Jinhwan acknowledges, sipping on his tea, “but I still trust him.”

“Why? How?” Hanbin slammed his fist into the table for each question, teeth grit together in annoyance.

Ignoring the younger Alpha’s temper tantrum, Jinhwan stares thoughtfully down into his teacup. “That Alpha,” he murmurs after a moment of thought, “I don’t think he has a sense of smell.”

 ****  
  
  


Bobby approaches the bed silently and cautiously, gulping when he catches sight of Junhoe underneath the mound of blankets. The omega’s been squirming none stop since he’s stepped inside, face pressed hard into his pillow, but it’s not until he’s close enough that Bobby realizes Junhoe’s got his face jammed into the pillow to try and block out the smell of an Alpha, and he’s been squirming none stop because he’s been humping the bed.

“Junhoe,” he calls out to the omega softly.

The younger turns his head enough to rasp out, “Get out.”

Bobby takes a deep breath and hesitantly settling himself on the edge of the bed. He clenches and unclenches his fist a couple of times before finally reaching out and carding his fingers through Junhoe’s short hair. A pleasurable jolt runs down his spine at the breathy moan that escapes Junhoe’s lips at the action. He clears his throat awkwardly. “Are you okay? Your friends’ say you’re feeling a bit sick.”

“I’m not sick,” Junhoe protests, too drained to have any real edge in his voice. When the Alpha’s fingers brush over the nape of his neck he shivers and releases an involuntary cry. “I’m - I’m in heat.” He wants to roll away, to escape from the sensation of Bobby’s fingers on his neck, combing through his hair, but his traitorous body stays still, all to happy to accept the little touches.

Suddenly the Alpha removes his hand from Junhoe in favor of planting it on the bed so that he can lean over the omega. Junhoe rapidly transitions from being tense to relaxed to tense again. Curse this Alpha. “I - would you like me to help?” Bobby changes tactics.

“H-help?” Junhoe stutters, face heating up while his imagination bombards him with unwelcomed images of the Alpha draped on top of him. Shaking his head furiously to dispel the thoughts, he abruptly sits up, still bundled up in his blankets. “Are you mated?” he asks seriously.

Bobby frowns. “Why do you guys keep asking me that? Does it matter?”

“Yes,” Junhoe hisses. “I find it morally reprehensible to bed a mated Alpha. Or beta. Or anyone for that matter.”

The elder raises a brow at that. “Ah. Is that why your Alpha friend is upset that he has to ask me for help? You won’t let him help because he has a mate?”

“Exactly.”

Bobby’s lips quirk up into a small, amused smile at the answer. “Well,” he says, reaching out to slot his fingers between the seam of Junhoe’s blanket, “I assure you that I really can help you. Let’s just leave it at that, hmm?” He begins to untangle the omega from his sheets. With every bit of skin exposed Bobby’s groin tightens, a molten heat beginning to boil in his lower abdomen. Junhoe, for his part, appears speechless - lips parted but no words coming from them.

The Alpha presses his palms against Junhoe’s ribcage, gently pushing the omega down onto his back. A satisfied grin tugs at his lips upon hearing a gasp escape the other. Caging the omega in with his arms, Bobby leans down and kisses him. Junhoe’s lips feel dry and chapped against his own, but his mouth is hot as the Alpha licks his way inside. Throwing his arms around the Alpha, Junhoe arches his back to deepen the kiss while his fingers curl into the fabric of Bobby’s hot, tossing it to the side before they wander down to the hem of the Alpha’s shirt, tugging at it eagerly.

The Alpha pulls back with a little sigh while Junhoe gasps, desperately trying to bring air back into his lungs. Bobby crosses his arms and grabs the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head. Junhoe squirms at the sight. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the Alpha has a well-maintained physique, but the visual is still enough to elicit an excited response from the omega. He grimaces as he feels himself growing slicker and wetter.

“Hurry,” he complains.

Bobby complies, shimmying quickly out of his jeans and underwear and tossing them carelessly to the floor. He catches the omega staring at his half-hard cock with parted lips, and, if the circumstances were different, Bobby might have asked for a blowjob, but, as it was, breaking the omega’s heat is the first (and only) priority.

Junhoe’s legs fall open for him as Bobby scoots between them, pumping himself with his hand. Once he’s hard Bobby places his hand on top of Junhoe’s thighs, thumb stroking the skin while he admires the softness and smoothness of the omega’s skin. A whine from the younger snaps him out of his awe.

Taking in a shaky breath, Bobby’s hand slides down between Junhoe’s legs, tentatively pressing against his slick hole. The Alpha furrows his brows and bites his lip at the sensation. Through school and more anecdotes from friends than he cares the have, he knows very well that omegas produce lubricant - particularly during their heat - but he’s never experienced it before, and the sensation is...weird. His fingers are already slick, and he keeps sliding them over and along each other, a bit fascinated by the feeling.

“I don’t need it,” Junhoe says, pulling Bobby from his thoughts. The Alpha pauses to stare at him. “I don’t - you don’t -” The younger grits his teeth, fingers digging into his pillow. “Just stick your cock in me,” he growls.

Bobby shivers at the command, pulling his fingers away. “But you…” he tries to protest before trailing off.

“I don’t need it,” Junhoe insists.

Okay. Okay, this is about helping the omega, so Bobby supposes he should listen. “Condoms?” he asks instead.

Releasing a growl of frustration, Junhoe blindly reaches out with one hand for his bedside drawer, groping at the top drawer. Bobby takes the hint, leaning over to open it for the other and pulling out a condom for himself. Junhoe squeezes his eyes shut with anticipation as he listens to the sound of Bobby rolling the condom on. The Alpha slicks himself up before he plants his hand on either of the omega’s thighs.

Junhoe waits with bated breath when the Alpha finally moves closer, pressing the head of his cock against Junhoe’s entrance. He’s slow and gentle as he enters - everything Junhoe does not want at the moment. He’s so desperate to get off; he wants this to be done and over with. He wants to come so badly. His knees bend, legs locking up as Bobby finally pushes in fully.

“Hurry,” he demands again, hips moving to grind down on the Alpha.

He moves his hands from the omega’s thighs, lowering himself down to rest his forearms beside Junhoe’s head effectively boxing the omega in. It’s easier to move like this. He has more leverage, so he can easily and smoothly slide in. Lips parted, Junhoe moans and arches up against the Alpha when Bobby slips all the way inside him. “Shit,” he curses, toes curling.

The Alpha holds still for a moment, asking if Junhoe feels okay. Does it hurt? Is this okay? The omega answers by simply rolling his hips down, grunting at the feel of a cock inside of him. A series of curses fall from Bobby’s lips, and pushes his hips forward to bury himself deeper into the warmth.

After he takes a moment to catch his breath the Alpha rolls his hips again, moaning at the tight heat, while Junhoe finally relaxes his arched back until he’s lying comfortably on the bed. The younger cracks his eyes open, tired but lustful. He doesn’t catch Bobby’s gaze, instead staring at the Alpha’s collarbone to minimize the embarrassment he’s most certainly feeling. “Faster,” he says softly while lifting his hands up to run his fingers along the Alpha’s arms. The action is almost reverent.

Licking his lips nervously, Bobby does as he’s told, speeding up the movement of his hips, thrusting into Junhoe harder and faster. The omega moans, hands dropping down to the bed to tangle into the sheets, twisting them tightly between his fingers.

Bobby takes his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down on the soft flesh without making a sound. The younger squirms underneath him, pressing his knees tightly against the Alpha’s side. “Fuck, just like that,” Junhoe encourages, hips stuttering. His cock feels heavy and neglected between his legs, so the omega snakes his hand down and gently starts ghosting his fingers over himself, sighing at the sensation.

Panting heavily, Bobby leans down, nearly draping his body over the omega’s, face hidden beside the younger’s neck. Shifting his weight onto just one arm, Bobby moves the other down, wrapping it around the omega’s cock. The lube left over on his fingers provide a nice, slick slide. Junhoe moans loud and low in his throat, abandoning any sense of dignity at this point. His own hand falls away and his head lolls to the side. His eyes catch sight of Bobby though the Alpha is not looking at him.

A pleasant heat pools in the pit of Junhoe’s stomach. He can feel his orgasm racing towards him. Tilting his head up, he presses his nose into the Alpha’s neck, breathing in deeply. Fuck. Oh, fuck. The Alpha has a distinct enough scent - one that lets Junhoe know his rank, the fact that he’s aroused, turned on, but like this - like this Junhoe can smell him. Truly.

Bobby smells like the earth - like the smell of pavement after a rainstorm and the pine trees up in the mountains Junhoe liked to go to as a kid. The scent is grounding, and he inhales deeply one more time, body convulsing and legs quaking as his orgasm hits him like a train. Chest heaving, he feels his eyes sliding shut as sleep begins to overtake him. Just before he falls asleep, however, he feels the Alpha slide out of him, pulling away.

Junhoe whines, opening his eyes just wide enough to catch sight of the Alpha above him taking off the condom. He leans up, intending on kissing the other, but only manages a slight brush of lips before he collapses back onto the bed, asleep, nose pressed into his sheets which just smell of sweat and sex.

 ****  
  
  


Everyone looks up when Bobby enters the kitchen, fully dressed but with his beanie clutched in his hand rather than on his head. The Alpha looks well put together and presentable, but each of them can easily smell the scent of sex lingering on him. Awkwardly, Bobby tilts his head at them in acknowledgement before making a beeline for the door.

“Hey,” Jinhwan calls, stopping him. He stands up from his seat and approaches the Alpha. “You hungry? I was just about to make dinner for the kids.” Hanbin and Donghyuk both grumble and protest at the description.

“I…” The Alpha trails off, really not wanting to accept. “That’s okay. I’m sure my roommate’s made something by now, so…”

“Please?” Jinhwan smiles at him. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you about.”

Against his better judgment, Bobby can’t find a way to excuse himself, so he relents. Okay, he’ll stay for dinner.

Jinhwan pours everyone a glass of water, handing a cup to Bobby as a sign of gratitude. “Thank you,” he says, “for helping Junhoe.”

Bobby pulls his glass closer to himself, fingers tapping nervously against the side. “Um, no problem.” He spins the cup around, staring at the water rather than at anyone else.

“I don’t just mean now,” Jinhwan clarifies, elbowing Hanbin when his mate begins to whine. Donghyuk quietly sips at his water, pretending that he’s not really listening to the conversation. “Even though I don’t seem to know what happened in great deal, it sounds to me like you also saved Junhoe from a forced mating, so thank you for that too.”

Bobby squints down at his cup. “Of course,” he says, stilted. Something seems off about Jinhwan’s questions. Trying to shrug it off, Bobby finally lifts the cup to his lips and takes a sip of water.

Not a moment later, the elder cracks. “Alright, I don’t know how to say this subtlely, so I won’t even try. You don’t have a sense of smell do you?”

Hanbin blubbers, smacking his mate on the shoulder, Donghyuk’s eyes bulge, and Bobby chokes on his water, tipping his glass over accidentally when he tries to put it down. Jinhwan hardly reacts at all, grabbing a paper towel to mop up the mess in front of the shocked Alpha. “Excuse me?” Bobby asks.

“I’m not trying to judge you,” Jinhwan assures him. “It’s just something I’ve been starting to suspect, and I just wanted to make sure.”

Bobby stands up from his seat, fully intending to leave now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he denies mechanically, turning to leave.

“Then what am I?”

The Alpha pauses at the challenge, slowly turning back to face Jinhwan. The elder smiles sweetly at him, but Bobby thinks it’s more poisonous than sweet.

“Jinhwan,” Hanbin whispers to his mate, “don’t.”

“What? It’s just a simple question,” Jinhwan defends, eyes locking with Bobby’s. That smile is still stretched across his lips. “Or...is there a reason you don’t want to answer?”

Bobby swallows nervously. His eyes scan over the smaller man taking in his short stature, small physique, and youthful face. He also reminds himself that Jinhwan and Hanbin are mates, and Hanbin is definitely an Alpha. Although not unheard of, Alphas don’t generally mate other Alphas. Anyways Jinhwan doesn’t _look_ like an Alpha. So beta or omega. Licking his lips, he goes with what he thinks is the most likely answer. “Omega -”

“Beta,” Jinhwan interrupts him with a knowing smile. Donghyuk makes a small noise of indignation, like he can’t actually believe that Jinhwan tricked the Alpha. Bobby curls his fingers into a fist and silently curses himself. “I’m a beta. You really can’t smell it, can you?”

Bobby pointedly ignores Hanbin’s and Donghyuk’s gaping expressions, trying to save his dignity from the bruising punch Jinhwan threw his way. “Fine,” he relents with a sharp edge in his voice, “you’re right. I don’t. I can’t smell the difference between Alphas, betas, and omegas. I can’t smell your friend’s heat. Happy? What’s your point?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Bobby’s nails dig into the skin of his palms, hard enough that he’s sure to leave marks. “Why would I?” he scoffs, refusing to meet the beta’s gaze. “It’s hardly something to be proud of, and I barely know you.”

“You saved Junhoe from another Alpha,” Jinhwan reminds him. “Why?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Bobby demands.

Jinhwan catches the Alpha’s gaze and holds it confidently while he answers, “Oh, it has to do with everything. So, please, tell me your answer.” The beta stares imploringly at the other.

It takes a moment for Bobby to reign in his anger enough for him to unclench his fist and answer. A sigh falls from his lips. Lifting his hands up, he presses his fingers against his forehead and closes his eyes. “Why else would I help? An Alpha jumped him, and he screamed for help. I heard, so I helped.” He finally opens his eyes after that to glare at the nosy beta. “Are you satisfied yet?”

Jinhwan clasps his hands together, a bright, wide smile on his face. His obvious enthusiasm set off alarm bells in Bobby’s head setting the Alpha completely on edge. “You’re perfect!” the beta exclaims much to everyone else’s confusion. “Oh, my gosh. You are absolutely perfect!” Reaching out, he grasps Bobby’s hand with both of his own, grinning brightly at the confused Alpha.

“Uh, what are you talking about, Jinhwan?” Hanbin asks, effectively taking the words right out of Bobby’s mouth.

“He’s perfect,” Jinhwan repeats, “don’t you think?”

“Why? For what?” Bobby asks this time, unsure of the beta’s intentions. “What are you even talking about?”

Jinhwan stares at him like he can’t understand why Bobby has yet to catch on. “For Junhoe,” he answers simply, still grinning. “I think you’re perfect for him. Won’t you consider him for a mate?”

Bobby blinks at the older beta but can’t respond before Hanbin promptly throws a fit.

“Jinhwan,” he hisses at his mate, shaking him lightly by the shoulder. “What are you saying? You can’t just ask him that.” Even though he whispers his criticism to the beta, Bobby can hear them perfectly fine. Hanbin seems to recognize this because he glances over to the other Alpha, offering him an apologetic smile on behalf of his mate’s loose lips.

“Why not?” Jinhwan protests. “Junhoe’s probably never going to find someone on his own. If I have to arrange a match for him then so be it. I’m simply looking after my friend.”

Donghyuk makes a choked noise at his friend’s declaration while Bobby tries to remind them all that he is still present so can they please try not to make his life choices without him. That would be great, thanks.

“You can’t do that to Bobby though,” Donghyuk protests indignantly, speaking for the first time on the subject. Said Alpha crosses his arms over his chest and nods his head in agreement, silently thanking the omega for understanding his feelings. “How can you try to force him to be with Junhoe of all people? I mean, Junhoe? That’s just cruel and unusual punishment, and he’s the one who helped us out. I vote that I should be his mate instead.” Donghyuk tuts while Bobby blanches. Jinhwan frowns disapprovingly at the younger.

“Wait, that’s not what I meant,” Bobby protests, holding his hands up in surrender. The action is mostly an attempt to placate Hanbin who seems offended by the notion that someone might not like his friend - even if he’s completely against Bobby as a mate. “I just - why me? You even warned me specifically not to mate him, remember?” he motions to both Jinhwan and Hanbin.

“I wanted to make sure I was right about you first,” the beta defends with a shrug.

“I still don’t want you to mate him,” Hanbin says tightly. Alright, fair enough.

Jinhwan pinches his mate on the arm and scolds him for that statement. “Why would you interrupt a mating? Even if it’s forced.”

Bobby furrows his brows in confusion, half-convinced that’s a rhetorical question, but Jinhwan doesn’t continue his thought, waiting for Bobby to answer. “I don’t know,” the Alpha finally says.” He was calling for help, so I helped. Why is that so weird to you?”

“Because you’re an unmated Alpha,” Jinhwan explains, “who didn’t even know him up until that point.” He glances over to Hanbin, who has stopped protesting in favor of thinking over the beta’s logic, then to Donghyuk - the omega’s lips forming an “oh” as he also seems to come to a realization. Bobby, however, remains lost on the significance. “Maybe it seems weird to you because of your, um, nose,” he tries to explain delicately, “but what you did rarely ever happens. An unmated Alpha doesn’t usually interrupt another Alpha regardless of circumstances - particularly if the interrupting Alpha doesn’t have any designs on the omega in the first place.”

Nope, Bobby still doesn’t quite understand. “Come again?”

Sighing, Jinhwan crosses his arms. “Under normal circumstances you would have smelled that Alpha’s arousal, and instinct would have either driven you to butt out of his business or challenge him for Junhoe. But you didn’t do anything because of instinct, you took action on your own volition because of your own moral code it would seem. Very admirable.”

Bobby scratches behind his ear awkwardly. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Wait, so you want to set June up with him for _that?_ ” Hanbin clarifies, still evidently mortified by the thought. Jinhwan pats him on the shoulder sympathetically. It must be a weird thought. Hanbin and Junhoe had known each other since they were children after all.

“I like that he can’t scent,” the beta declares stubbornly. “It’s a great quality.”

Bobby blushes at the compliment. He’s not very used to hearing words like that. Actually, he’s not sure he’s ever met anyone so kind about his...disability. So far he’s only encountered scathing insults or silent pity. Compliments are new though, and not unappreciated.

Hanbin still seems uncomfortable with the thought of an unknown Alpha in his friend’s life. “But -” he attempts a weak defense only to be interrupted by the sound of a door opening - hinges squeaking from overuse - followed by stumbling footsteps. All four in the kitchen freeze, waiting with bated breaths until Junhoe finally emerges into the kitchen.

The omega looks a little worse for wear - his eyes sleepy and a bit swollen, hair in complete disarray, and a slight limp in his steps. However, he does look more alive, healthy even. More importantly however, his heat is finally fading. All of them, sans Bobby, can smell it receding.

“Oh, well look who’s finally awake,” Jinhwan greets the younger with a smile.

“I’m hungry,” Junhoe mumbles, patting his stomach.

“Well lucky you. I was just about to run out to get a few things. I’ll make dinner tonight. You just rest.” Jinhwan pats the younger on the shoulder before turning to Hanbin and Donghyuk. “You two, come with me why don’t you?” He grabs both of them by the collar of their shirts, dragging them towards the front door without any further protests.

“And I’ll head back home,” Bobby announces in murmur, attempting to flee the apartment behind the beta and his posse.

But Jinhwan refuses him passage. The elder stomps his foot down in front of the Alpha, effectively stopping him in his tracks with a sweet, sweet smile on his face. “Sit down. Relax. I’ll make you dinner just like I promised, okay?”

Bobby swallows thickly and nods his head meekly in agreement. Jinhwan waits, watching, until the Alpha mechanically turns around and heads back into the kitchen where Junhoe is practically falling asleep against the counter. The beta leaves with the other two then, leaving Bobby standing in the middle of the kitchen, across the table from Junhoe who has his hands braced on top of the table, eyes fluttering open and shut as he tries to fight off sleep.

“You...you should sleep if you’re still tired,” Bobby suggests, scratching at his chin.

Junhoe looks up at him with tired eyes before stubbornly shaking his head. “My sheets are disgusting. Don’t want to sleep on it,” the omega grumbles, picking up one of the half empty glasses of water on the table to sip at it. He just so happens to pick up Bobby’s.

“Where do you keep your extra sheets?”

“Hallway closet,” Junhoe answers, taking another sip of water.

Nodding his head, Bobby gratefully takes the opportunity to escape. He pulls out a clean set of sheets from the closet and drags them into Junhoe’s room where he proceeds to replace them with the soiled sheets on the bed. He dumps the soiled sheets into a laundry hamper in the corner of the room and claps his hands together in satisfaction as he takes in the newly made bed.

“Hey, Junhoe,” he calls for the omega, poking his head outside of the room. A moment later, the younger comes shuffling down the hallways, still looking more asleep than awake. The Alpha smiles sympathetically at him, motioning for him to come inside. “I changed your bedsheets so it should be more comfortable now,” Bobby says.

Junhoe hums, crawling into bed without preamble and curling up into his pillow. He sighs at the nice, clean smell, eyes slipping shut again. “How are you feeling?” He cracks one eye open to stare at Bobby.

“Tired,” he mumbles, eye sliding shut again.

Bobby moves to sit at the edge of his bed before, as if realizing what he’s doing, pauses and takes a couple steps back to resist the temptation again. Junhoe pats his bed though, noticing the Alpha’s hesitation and inviting him to come sit down. He hesitates before perching himself at the very edge of the bed. Then he clears his throat. “What about your stomach? Still feel queasy or…?”

“No. I’m okay.” Junhoe bites down on the sleeve of his shirt as he answers that.

“Well, that’s good then.” Bobby picks at the new bedsheets, wondering if it’s appropriate for him to just leave the other here. It’s okay, right? They barely know each other anyways. He doesn’t think Junhoe would be all that offended if Bobby chooses to wait in the living room or kitchen.

Before he can get up to leave though Junhoe decides he has something to say. The omega briefly glances at him before looking away, still covering his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. “I, uh, I heard what Jinhwan-hyung said,” he murmurs.

Bobby tenses. “Oh.” _Shit_ , he thinks in his head. “You heard that.”

“I didn’t really think about it much myself,” Junhoe admits, curling up under his bedsheets. It’s a strange sight considering how tall he is. “I guess it’s because I assumed you were mated since you seemed completely unphased by me in the elevator, but then your beta roommate said you weren’t mated which was a bit weird I suppose, but I didn’t really think any further on it, considering the circumstances.” He clears his throat, embarrassed. “It...Thank you, anyways. Jinhwan’s right. Alphas don't usually challenge one another just to save an omega they don’t know. So thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome,” Bobby replies stiffly.

The omega then furrows his brows in thought. “But what did he mean when he said that he liked that you can’t scent? I mean, he can’t actually mean…” he trails off, looking to Bobby for confirmation.

But the Alpha turns his head away in shame, only confirming what Junhoe seems to have been thinking anyway. The omega sits up abruptly, eyes wide. “No way,” he denies, sounding more confused than condescending. “Like, you can’t smell at all?”

“I can smell,” Bobby defends quickly, sounding snappish though Junhoe doesn’t appear to take offense at his tone. The younger simply raises a brow at his statement, so the Alpha quickly amends, “normal things. I can smell normal things like food and flowers and stuff, but, right, I guess I can’t smell hormones...pheromones, you know. I didn’t know you were an omega. I couldn’t smell your heat coming at all. I...couldn’t even smell your heat when it finally came either,” Bobby admits reluctantly.

“Whoa. I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve never met anyone else like me.” The Alpha shrugs his shoulders, taking just a bit of comfort in the fact that no names were being slugged at him yet.

Junhoe scoots closer to the edge of the bed so that they’re sitting side by side. “What’s it like?” he asks curiously.

Bobby looks at him. “I don’t know. Shitty? What do you mean?”

“I guess, just, like, have you ever gotten in trouble not being able to differentiate between ranks?”

The Alpha snorts at the question, staring pointedly at Junhoe. Okay, so maybe the answer is a bit obvious. “Let’s just say I’m glad I’m not playing the guessing game in school anymore,” he says. “I’ve been beaten up, called names, and just generally put down more times than I can even remember.”  

Grimacing at the thought, Junhoe looks down at his bedsheets, pulling his knees to his chest. “Sorry,” he apologizes. “I didn’t mean -”

“It’s fine,” Bobby cuts in. “You’re pretty nice about it, and so are your friends. At least the beta and omega. I’m not sure what that other Alpha is thinking other than the fact that he hates me.”

Junhoe laughs at that. “Don’t even worry. Hanbin just likes acting like a dad. He has a mini heart attack every time Donghyuk gets a new boyfriend. If he had his way we’d probably remain single and mateless forever.”

Bobby manages a smile at that. “Well, since you’re feeling better, I should probably head out. Maybe I’ll see you around though.” He slides off the bed, only to pause when he feels Junhoe snatch hold of the back of his shirt. He resists the urge to sigh and, against his better judgement, turns around to see what the omega wants.

However Junhoe hesitates once he has the other’s attention, averting his gaze though he maintains his grip on the Alpha’s shirt. He bites his lips while stalling for time build up his confidence. “I just...Would you at least consider it?” he asks shyly. “What Jinhwan said, I mean. I’ve - truthfully, I’ve never been interested in Alpha before, but -”

Bobby turns fully around then, dislodging Junhoe’s grip on his shirt and startling the younger. He leans in close, planting his hands on either side of the omega’s thighs on the bed. Junhoe doesn’t move away though he turns his head to the side. “Are you implying that you’re interested in me?” he asks with a tilt of his head.

“Well -”

“I can’t scent you, you know,” he reminds the omega.

“But I can, and you smell amazing,” Junhoe blurts out without thinking. At the quirk of the Alpha’s brow, his face heats up in embarrassment, and he harshly shoves the other away, refusing to look at him and wishing furiously that a hole would conveniently open up and swallow him full. Fuck his broken brain-to-mouth filter.

Bobby thinks about it, however. He really does. Truthfully, he always imagined that one day he would have a mate - he simply figured that he would have to wait until he was much older to meet that person. He always thought to himself that he would find someone older and more mature who could take his inability to scent in stride and accept the way he is. He also always thought he would likely mate a beta who aren’t exactly known for their amazing ability to scent either. Never had he thought he stood a chance with an omega, especially one as cute as Junhoe. He makes a mental note never to call Junhoe cute to his face, however. Somehow he thinks the younger wouldn’t take it so gracefully.

“I’ve never tried to court someone before,” Bobby finally warns the omega. “I’ve never dated, so....”

Junhoe straightens up, tilting his chin up to meet the Alpha’s gaze. “Neither have I.”

“And you’re okay with all that?”

The omega nods his head once, hesitantly, before repeating the action with more confidence. “There is one thing I would like to try though,” he adds, smiling when he has the Alpha’s attention.

 ****  
  
  


When Jinhwan returns from the grocery store with everything he needs for dinner, he finds Junhoe and Bobby still hanging out in the kitchen though their attire appears to have changed. The beta comes up short as he realizes why. They swapped shirts. Junhoe is clearly wearing the shirt the Alpha came to the apartment in, just long enough to cover his body though it rides up whenever the omega lifts his arms, while Bobby sports one of Junhoe’s t-shirts. It fits him well enough if not a bit too loosely.

The beta raises a brow at their appearance, catches Junhoe’s eyes and then pointedly nods his head in approval. “Nice,” he comments, setting his grocery bags down on the table. Junhoe turns his head away, refusing to meet Jinhwan’s sly gaze while Bobby eagerly looks to him for guidance, clearly confused by the shirt swap. The beta takes pity on him. “He’s trying to scent mark both of you,” he explains.

“Scent what?” Bobby asks at the same time Junhoe hisses his friend’s name. Donghyuk trails in at that time, carrying just a couple, light bags. Jinhwan ignores the taller omega in favor of answering Bobby’s question.

“It’s kind of like a promise ring, but with scents. Now another Alpha would be able to smell you on Junhoe, so it let’s them know, like, ‘hey, this guy is off limits over here.’ Same goes for you too though. Now -”

“Other omegas will know someone’s staked a claim,” Donghyuk interrupts with a whine, throwing his bags bitterly onto the ground. He glares playfully at his roommate. “No fair. I asked first.”

“I saw him first.”

“Well…” Donghyuk takes a moment to think of a comeback. “I was nicer to him first.”

Junhoe crosses his arms and raises a brow at that. “You humped him the first time you saw him,” he points out. Donghyuk reddens at the memory and quickly quiets down at that.

Bobby, meanwhile, plucks at his new shirt, a bit flattered that two omegas were apparently fighting for him even if only in jest. And then Hanbin walks in.

The younger Alpha trudges into the apartment with more groceries and a bottle of soda tucked under his arm. He sets his haul down on the table, taking one whiff of his surrounding environment before immediately becoming alarmed. His eyes zero in on Junhoe with a horrified look upon his face. “You smell like an Alpha! You smell like him!” He jabs a finger in Bobby’s direction, voice cracking in the middle of the last statement.

Junhoe preens. Hanbin isn’t amused. “Take that off right now,” the Alpha demands, lunging for the younger.

“No. You’re not my dad, Hanbin.”

“Not in my presence are you smelling like an Alpha. No. I refuse it. Now give me that shirt.”

Donghyuk laughs at his roommate. “Now you know what it feels like,” he jeers.  

Jinhwan approaches Bobby and reaches out to pat the elder Alpha on the shoulder, pulling him in close. “Welcome to the family,” he says with a smile.

Bobby returns the smile weakly but doesn’t think that he’ll regret it.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry


End file.
